Embracing the Spirit of Activism

The days pass quickly, and weeks turn into to a blur. 

I'm not complaining, because Jack and I have been busy with all kinds of interesting, meaningful things, and that's always good, isn't it?

Our work with the Indivisible/Women's March group has continued, and we have a consistent, committed group of people who not only attend meetings but also embrace the spirit of activism in ways that truly make a difference.

 Last weekend, a group of us volunteered to staff the Planned Parenthood table at the DeKalb Women's Expo here in Smithville, and wow, it was a great event. This was the second year for Planned Parenthood to set up, but this time around, we had enough local volunteers from Huddle Upper Cumberland to staff the entire day without having to call in reinforcements from the city. My good friends at Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee set us up with everything we need to be a presence at events in this region: brochures and handouts, promotional materials, our very own tablecloth, and enough birth control to prevent thousands - yes, thousands - of people from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

We got a few sideways glances and snide comments, but the majority of people were exceptionally nice and either welcoming or neutral to our presence. We gave out a lot of information on talking to kids about sex, menopause, breast health, and the services provided by Planned Parenthood. We also provided strawberry candy, condoms, dental dams, and a full assortment of flavored lube packets. 

The table looked pretty, too! We were brighter and pinker than anyone else at the show, and our goodie basket door prize provided an interesting and beautiful centerpiece. Congratulations to our winner, Sherry T., who is a true-blue, real-life supporter of Planned Parenthood and its mission.

After the Expo was over, we packed up our signs and a few other things and headed to a "Dump Trump" rally in Cookeville. I haven't taken to the streets and protested in over 30 years, but the time has come to be loud and proud and speak my mind, so I did! Jack did, too. He also took some fantastic photos before the storm hit!! 

Now, we have more than a handful of folks interested in having us attend their events to either provide an informational table or be a presence with voices and signs.

If you're interested in donating to Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee, click here.

Bea's Birthday - 2017

Y'all know what this photo means. Yes, little Bea has flipped another year on the dial and is sailing toward six. She was just a baby, wasn't she? Like last year? 

Not any more. She'll always be the baby of the family and all, but she's grown way beyond anything resembling a baby and has become her very own girl. Beatrice and Lucia are tight and about as close as sisters come, but they're as different as different can be. As with everyone else on the face of this planet, the older they get, the more we see unique personality characteristics, and boy, do these two have some. They agree on being barefooted and are more fun to watch than TV.

Bea's birthday party on the farm was great - the weather was uncooperative, so we had to punt plans to go fishing or do anything outside, but the weather didn't matter.

I used my art skills to create a watercolor of one of Bea's favorite snuggly things, Bananas the cat, and was all the way satisfied, because it DOES look good. I did something similar for Lucia's birthday back in December, and she LOVED it - the more she looked at it, the more my little painting looked like kiTTen. 

Beatrice? She recognized Bananas right away, but the longer she studied the painting, the more differences she found -- 

"Pammy, this cat is BROWN."

"Mommy, this cat's eyes aren't anything like Bananas'." 

"Papa, where's Bananas?" 

"Pammy, look - this cat is BROWN. And it's tail is too short."

No exclamation points. No disappointment. Just the facts.

And seriously... The card I painted for Bea is at least ten times better than the one I pained for Lucia. I 've had a dozen watercolor classes since December and actually kind of understand what I'm doing now.

Maybe she has a future as an art critic.

In other news, I turned 52 on the 27th, and Jack and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary on May 1st. 

Now... who wants cake?